


Pet Peeves

by Tigg



Series: Dog eat Dog world [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Anxiety, Friends to Lovers, Full Shift Werewolves, Injured Derek Hale, M/M, Panic Attacks, Pre-Slash, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-01-07 11:16:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tigg/pseuds/Tigg
Summary: Derek turns up at the clinic, stuck in a full shift and starving. Stiles get's roped in to helping care for him.





	1. Woof?

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by antics of my dogs. Most of these things my dog has done or still does. I am not entirely sure how some of this story is going to develop so please check rating and tags as it could change.

It was too early for this shit, but then again any time of day would be too early for this shit. It was 8am on a Saturday morning and he was stood in the back room of the vet clinic, arms folded and head pounding, staring at the contents of one of the cages.

"So, you are telling me, this is Derek as in Derek Derek."

"Yup" Scott was staring at the cage with a similar expression to Stiles whilst Deaton continued to assemble the required equipment for the day.

"But how do you know it's Derek? It's not like he's microchipped...is he???"

"We have a procedure for identifying any member of the pack who can full shift, if a creature matching their description turns up we automatically do a DNA test to confirm identity before treating them or sending them on" Deaton didn't look up from his work as he spoke.

Stiles' gaze remained on the creature huddled in the cage. It's entire body was caked in dirt and the sections of fur not missing all together was matted and stiff, its ribs and spine clearly showed and there was something Stile's didn't want to focus too much on caked around it's eyes and nose. Even from this distance Stiles could see the fleas and ticks attacking the already weakened body.

"OK so it's Derek; now what? Why did you call me here"

This time it was Scott's turn to speak. "He either can't or wont shift back, He clearly needs cleaning up and treating but when I go anywhere near him he freaks out. He's already hurt his leg trying to run away from me" As Scott pointed it out Stiles noticed Derek was holding his back leg off the ground and close to his body. "We may have to tranquilize him before we can do anything but we need at least two people to get him in the tub and Deaton needs to run the clinic. We also don't know what is going to happen when we tranq him, he could shift back, so we couldn't risk bringing in anyone who didn't know about the supernatural"

This was clearly something he and Dr Deaton had discussed before contacting Stiles, Scott recited the reasons like a well practiced speech. Resigned to his fate Stiles crouched down and approached the cage talking softly to the pathetic looking animal it contained.

"Alright sourwolf, but you gotta promise me you wont eat me when all this is over" The high pitched whine Derek had been emitting since before Stiles walked in faltered and was replaced with a dull thump-thump as Derek's tail began to wag. "Ok, I'm going to take this as consent" Derek slowly stretched his snout forward and licked Stiles' hand through the bars causing Stiles to fall back with a yelp in surprise.

Finally Deaton seemed to take interest in the proceedings and turned to face the trio; "It's very interesting Derek is responding so positively to you Mr Stilinski, so far he has tried to attack both myself and Scott and the animal control official who brought him in."

"Well I just told him -" "It doesn't matter what you told him Mr Stilinski as far as we could establish Derek has not been able to understand us up until this point. We still do not know if he can understand us or if he is responding to you in some way"

"Ok" Stiles looked back at Derek "Lets test the theory. Derek if you can understand us and want to avoid us tell you what a good dog you are then tap the cage bars with your nose three times" Everyone stared expectantly at Derek who simply stared back at them, growling slightly when Deaton and Scott continued to watch him.

"Right so lets assume he can't understand us, you gonna knock him out Doc or what"

"Actually" Deaton seemed to consider Stiles for a moment. "It would be much better for him if we didn't have to sedate him, if he is willing to cooperate."

"I thought you said he was attacking everyone"

"Everyone except you"

"Wait hold up you want me to bath the angry werewolf?"

"Yes, Scott will be with you should he decide to attack"

"This is crazy" Before Stiles could argue anymore Deaton carefully reached over and flicked the latch securing Derek's cage, causing the door to swing open slightly. Everyone held their breath as the wolf slowly began to crawl forwards until it was completely out of the cage, keeping its brilliant blue eyes locked on Scott and Deaton Derek crept over until he was leant against Stiles' still crouched form. The first thing that struck Stiles was pure relief that Derek was not currently using his face as a chew toy, the second thing was the smell. Derek absolutely _STANK_ and Stiles found himself gagging as the odour permeated all his senses; yes all of them Derek smelt so bad Stiles could hear it.

Suitably satisfied Deaton returned to the task previously occupying him and left Stiles and Scott to deal with the now loose wolf.

"Ok Stiles get him to jump in the tub"

"How exactly do you want me to do that Scott?!"

"I dunno you seemed to be ok before"

"Yeah, before your crazy boss let him out of the cage!"

"He isn't crazy" Scott grumbled at Stiles, apparently seeing Scott as a threat Derek moved in front of Stiles and began to growl. "Stiles call him off"

"again Scott how exactly do you want me to do that?"

"I don't know try talking to him"

"I can't believe I'm about to do this, alright Derek that's enough" Stiles tried to speak with as much authority as possible as he slowly crouched down and wrapped his arms around the wolf. For the second time in less than an hour Stiles felt mind numbing terror give way to relief as he was able to lift the wolf, which in itself was worrying as Derek should weigh too much for him to do that, in to the metal bath tub.

"Ok you try and keep him occupied while I clean him up" Scott walked forward to turn on the water only to have a very close call with Derek's teeth. "Or not, I will talk you through what you need to do."

Carefully following Scott's instructions Stiles turned the water so it was warm, but not too hot I don't want to burn him I KNOW Scott!, and rinsed the top layer of dirt from Derek's fur. Next Scott passed Stiles some medicated shampoo to kill the fleas and any other parasites; Stiles carefully poured it on to Derek's back and began massaging it through his fur and onto exposed patches of skin. He found himself to be simultaneously sickened and satisfied to see the dirt and pests being washed away with the soap suds. Once Derek was thoroughly rinsed Scott passed across what looked like a tiny pitch fork, trying his best to stop his hands shaking Stiles used the instrument to meticulously remove every tick from Derek's body before washing him again with another shampoo, this one apparently an antiseptic. Finally Derek was no longer a stinking pest riddled mess but a clean wet matted mess. Stiles spent the next hour carefully brushing and trimming each knot and matt from Derek's fur, only resorting to the clippers when he absolutely had to. They did end up washing Derek one final time now once the fur was sleek to make sure there was no dirt left anywhere on him before gently drying him with the hairdryer. The entire time Derek remained relatively still in the tub, occasionally trying to jump out before they were ready but settling back in when Stiles grabbed hold of him, and only growled or snapped if he felt Scott or Deaton got to close.

When Derek was dry Stiles stepped back and allowed him to jump out from the bath, happy to see Derek using all four legs again Deaton deemed him fit to go home.

"I'm sorry you want to send him home? We still don't know why he's stuck in wolf form, where he's been or how he got in to a half starved state in the first place" Stiles turned to Scott for back up who was staring at the ground shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his best friends gaze.

"Of course not Mr Stilinski that would be completely inappropriate; the most sensible solution would be for him to go home with you"

"I'm sorry WHAT?!" 


	2. No dogs allowed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to get Derek home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm basing all leash laws etc to the ones I am familiar with, this may not be applicable in every country.

Sitting behind the wheel of his beloved jeep Stiles kept shooting glances to whimpering dark shape on the back seat. Working fast Stiles had been able to get a slip leash on to the wolf without being seriously injured and, with an apologetic mutter of 'Sorry Der, leash laws', coerce him in to the back of the car where he secured the leash to the chair before climbing in to the front seat himself. Stiles had just about managed to complete possibly the most tense commute of all time when a squad car pulled up behind him flashing it's lights. Groaning Stiles pulled over and hoped he would be able to talk his way out of whatever traffic offence he had unwittingly committed. Signalled by a tap on the window Stiles looked up to see his dad staring down at him, saying goodbye to any chance of talking his way out of a ticket Stiles rolled down the window.

"Stiles what the hell is that sat in the back of your car"

"Erm would you believe me if I said it was Derek" Stiles wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing these comments no longer phased his dad.

"And where exactly are you taking Derek"

"home"

"Whose home?"

"Our home" Stiles braced for the onslaught of objections from his dad, only looking up when Noah remained silent, the Sheriff  was looking in to the back window thoughtfully.

"He looks hungry, we have some chicken in the fridge you should give him that"

"Um. Okay. Will do." Stiles was just putting the jeep in gear.

"Stiles, make sure he has lots of blankets tonight he could get cold"

"I will dad" Noah raised his hand to his son and stepped away from the jeep allowing Stiles to finish the journey home while he headed off to work.  

Pulling in to the driveway Stiles jumped out the jeep and fetched Derek, leading him through the front door before removing the leash. Immediately Derek began walking around the house sniffing the ground, after a moments hesitation Stiles walked in to the kitchen to get Derek some food and to put down a bowl of water. With everything assembled Stiles turned around just in time to see Derek lifting his leg against the wall into the kitchen.

"Derek NO" Stiles darted forward hoping to stop Derek but the wet patch collecting on the floor told him he was too late. Stomping back in to the kitchen Stiles dumped the bowls on the counter and rummaged for something to clean up the mess with before slamming the cupboard door and marching back in to the hall. "Dammit Derek you go OUTSIDE". Something in Stiles' tone must have come across to Derek who shrank into the corner and stared back at Stiles with wide eyes.

"Oh come on, don't do that, it's alright really" once the mess was cleaned up Stiles slowly approached Derek who continued to sulk in the corner. "Come on sourwolf will you forgive me, I've got chicken" Derek obviously didn't understand what Stiles was saying but the change in tone was enough encouragement to follow him all the way in to the kitchen.  Stiles placed the bowls on the floor and stepped back so Derek could eat, after a cursory sniff Derek scoffed all the chicken and licked the bowl until Stiles took it away from him. He then made a valiant attempt to jump up and consume Stiles' chicken sandwich, as he couldn't  push Derek down and protect his food Stiles resorted in holding the sandwich as high as he could and eating it whilst turning in a circle any time Derek tried again to jump up. Somehow Stiles managed to consume his meal without loosing any to the wolf lurking below and still had all his fingers by the end, 1 - 0 to the human!

Once the kitchen was cleaned and the dishes washed Stiles decided he needed an early night, it had been a long and stressful day. Stiles began to climbed the stairs only to realise he needed the extra bedding for Derek, dejectedly he turned around and trudged back down stopping when he heard a whine from behind him. Turning to glance at the top of the stairs Stiles saw Derek frozen at the top step whining and pawing the air in front of him uncertainly.

"what you can't climb down? You got up there fine!" Derek began to pace restlessly back and forth on the landing. "Ok well I will be right back up so just wait there" Stiles carried on down the stairs only to almost fall off the bottom step when frantic barking and howling reached his ears. A quick check over his shoulder confirmed Derek was still at the top of the stairs and was not, in fact, being brutally murdered like he was making out. Sighing Stiles grabbed the bedding and rushed back up to Derek in the hopes to quiet his frenzy. When Derek saw Stiles' approach he began to wag his tail from side to side and squirm in place.

"Jeez Derek I thought you were a wolf not a Labrador" Stiles arranged the bedding in a neat pile on his bedroom floor whilst Derek sat patiently beside him. When he was done Stiles flopped backwards on to his bed with a happy sigh only to feel the mattress dip as Derek leapt up beside him.

"No Derek, get down! No wolf fur on the bed" Derek dropped to the floor at Stiles persistent pushing only to jump back up when Stiles lay back down. After forty minutes of this up down routine Stiles felt his resolve wavering, "Ok you can sleep on the bed!" grumbling to himself he undressed and climbed under the blankets.

With a yelp Stiles bolted upright, something cold and wet had just touched his shoulder blade before disappearing just as suddenly. Rolling over and briefly debating if he needed his bat Stiles was greeted by two bright blue eyes before Derek resumed his attempts to nose and dig his way under the blankets.

"What? Really??" Stiles lifted the blanket and allowed Derek to burrow his way underneath, when Derek finally reached Stiles feet he pushed his furry head out the bottom of the bedding. Apparently content with his position staring at the door Derek rested his head on his paws and slowly fell to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try and update as often as possible but work is a bit full on at the moment so sorry for any delays. 
> 
>  
> 
> also yes my dog does sleep like that.


	3. BAD DOG!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles goes to the shop. Derek stays at home.

To Stiles it felt like he spent the entire next few days cleaning up after Derek the dog, and he refused to acknowledge he was a wolf because no wolf liked belly rubs that much Derek!

Derek still remained resolutely canine although he was starting to gain a bit of weight and his fur was starting to make an attempt at regrowth. Still not the speed you would hope to see from werewolf regeneration but substantially faster than a typical stray, Scott had phoned Stiles on the second day of dog duty to say they had no information on why Derek was the way he was. As far as he or Deaton could tell it appeared Derek had become injured, probably whilst shifted, and the energy taken to heal the injury had lead to him not hunting or travelling for an extended period of time causing him to starve and resulting in his current state. They were going to keep looking in case anything else turned up but for now they just had to wait for Derek to recover enough to shift back, only then would they know the full details of what had happened.

After the initial consent for Derek staying the sheriff hadn't had much to do with the pair apart from alerting Stiles to a new puddle or Derek scratching at their back door for the bathroom. It was lucky they had a break from school right now otherwise Stiles would be taking a lot of sick days or trying to pass Derek off as a medical alert dog of some kind, as it was Stiles had not left the house in three days and he was beginning to go a bit stir crazy. Deciding he couldn't take it any more, and he really needed to get a refill on his prescription, Stiles shut Derek in the kitchen where any mess would be contained and headed out to the pharmacy. He was proud to say the journey took just under 20minutes round trip and when he got home the house was mercifully quiet, Stiles walked down the hall to open the kitchen door and release Derek.

_Where was the door?_ That was Stiles first thought quickly followed by _How could one animal make so much mess_ and finally _my dad is going to KILL me._ The kitchen door had been scratched and chewed enough to leave substantial holes along the bottom and some of the side, thankfully none of these were big enough for Derek to access the rest of the house so the damage was contained to the one room. Pushing the door all the way open Stiles took in the kitchen massacre before him; the floor was soaked with urine and there was a pile of poo in one corner, the legs off one of the breakfast bar stools had been chewed completely off, the bin had been tipped over and emptied, the dials on the oven had been chewed to a mangled mess and the wooden door handles had been chewed of all the cupboard doors. The blankets Stiles had set down for Derek were soaked along with the wolf himself who was huddled, soaked and shaking, in the corner by the back door.

Before entering the room Stiles went to fetch the mop and bucket and bags to clean up the mess and snapped a picture of the disaster to send to Scott because did that wolf owe him BIG for this. Stiles waded across the kitchen floor to push the still cowering Derek into the garden and shut the door, he felt momentarily guilty but he had to deal with one issue at a time. Using one of the bags Stiles cleaned up the mess, including Derek's bedding and faeces before tying it up and placing it by the door. He then used the mop to absorb the down right alarming amount of pee before tipping it down the drain and filling the bucket with boiling water and bleach. Stiles then rinsed the mop and cleaned the entire kitchen floor. Once that was done he was able to clean his sneakers with a disinfectant wipe before emptying the mop bucket once more and rinsing it thoroughly. When he was satisfied there was no remnants of bleach Stiles filled the bucket once more with warm water and a small amount of dish soap.

Carrying the bucket and rubbish bags out the door Stiles nearly tripped over the wolf huddled just outside the threshold before quickly righting himself. Stiles hurried to throw out the bags before turning his attention to Derek once more.

"you better work on those puppy dog eyes Der-bear because my dad is going to freak out" Stiles dipped a cloth in to the bucket of water before ringing it out and rubbing the worst of the mess from Derek's paws and tail. Once he felt Derek was clean enough to allow him back into the house Stiles took him straight to the bathroom for a full wash down using the medicated soap Deaton had given him whilst he was at it. He then took the still damp and pitiful looking werewolf downstairs for his evening meal, he had just reached the bottom of the stairs when he saw the silhouette of his father framed in the kitchen doorway.

"Dad I can explain, I was only gone 20 minutes and Derek freaked out -"

"well of course he did," the sheriff glared at his son, "he hasn't left the house since he got here all that energy has to go somewhere. Not only that he's a wolf, they run in packs, then suddenly he was alone for no apparent reason"

Stiles stared at his dad gobsmacked, "How do you know all this?"

"You think I've never had a dog?, plus we use police dogs at the station. The handlers often talk about this stuff when the pups are being trained. I thought you would know all this by now, you are normally the first one to research stuff."

Stiles glanced down at the large black shape pressed against his legs where he stood "I didn't think I needed to because he's not a dog, or a wolf, he's Derek"

"Well right now he's behaving far more dog than Derek so maybe you should start researching. And I want you to take Derek for a walk first thing tomorrow"

Stiles nodded heading further into the kitchen, after a short pause he opened the now handle-less cupboard by dragging his foot against the underneath of the cabinet and pulling the door open. "Oh and Stiles, don't forget to get him a proper collar and leash, complete with tag. It's the law" Stiles glanced down at Derek as his brain filled with all the ways Derek would kill him if he found out he wore a collar before turning back to preparing dinner.

Later that night Stiles was sat on the couch with Derek sprawled across his lap and his dad nursing a drink in his arm chair Stiles reflected on the last few days.

"Thanks for being so understanding about all this dad"

Noah looked at his son, who was resting his hand subconsciously on the wolf in an almost protective manner. "this isn't just some stray you have dragged in off the street Stiles, this is a young man with nowhere else to go. Whether he has two legs and a murder record or four paws and a tail I'm not going to turn my back on him"

Stiles swallowed around a lump forming in his throat, filled with admiration for the truly good man his father is "So you really aren't mad about the damage?"

"Oh don't miss understand me, the minute Hale is human again I'm expecting a full new kitchen courtesy of that fortune of his. But until then some door handles and oven dials wont cost us the earth"

"Thanks dad"

"no problem kiddo, now upstairs it's getting late"

Stiles begrudgingly stood from his warm and comfortable seat, Derek rolled from his lap. From his new position at the edge of the couch, his head hung upside down and his tongue hanging out comically, Derek's eyes tracked Stiles' every move.

"Come on Der time for bed, big day tomorrow. Puppies first walk" Stiles had to fight back a groan as he trudged up the stairs where Derek climbed into the bed as he had done every night so far. Stiles protested and tried to kick him out, as he had done every night so far, but gave up quickly. If he was getting the best night sleep he possibly ever had since Derek had joined his bed well that could stay between him and four paws down there.


	4. WALKIES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles takes Derek for a walk

Stiles rolled out of bed far earlier than he wanted to the next morning and staggered in to the bathroom to grab a quick shower only fully waking when Derek's howls reached his ears. With a frustrated groan he wrenched the door open once more and glared down at the animal sat on the other side.

"What? I need a shower man you can't come in"

Derek walked confidently in to the bathroom irrelevant of Stiles' protests, cursing the wolf under his breath Stiles stripped off and stepped under the hot stream hoping Derek wouldn't remember this when he became human once more. He tried to close the shower curtain and preserve what dignity he had left but a cold wet nose to the thigh revealed Derek pushing his head under the curtain so he didn't loose sight of his human.

Once Stiles was dressed and consumed enough coffee to propel him out the door he snatched up the slip leash, which he hadn't used since bringing Derek home from the vets, and headed out the door with wolf in tow. Thankfully Derek jumped into the rear of the jeep with only minimal encouragement and stayed seated for most of the journey, the first stop being the pet store. Following his dad's orders Stiles was not going to risk taking Derek out without the correct equipment, he couldn't chance the wolf making a break for it especially as he wasn't fully healed yet.

Holding the leash in a death grip Stiles entered the brightly lit building and quickly made his way to the dog aisle praying Derek didn't suddenly decide he wanted bunny for breakfast as they walked past the rabbits. Stiles found himself confronted with about every collar he could imagine and no clue with what he needed; He initially glanced at the basic buckle collars but quickly dismissed them. He had no clue if Derek would suddenly return to his human form and he couldn't risk the collar being too tight when he did. A small cough disturbed him from his musings and he turned to find a bubbly customer service woman wearing the bright green top sporting the pet store logo.

"Can I help you at all?" She glanced down at Derek, who was peering out from behind Stiles' legs, and her smile set slightly when she caught sight of his patchy fur and bony stature.

"He's a rescue" Stiles said before he could think too much about it. The last thing he needed was this woman calling the animal protection officers because she thought he was neglecting the wolf. "I, uh, need a leash and a collar. I only have this" Stiles gestured to the slip leash awkwardly.

"Ok well as you can see we have a lot of collars to choose from"

"yeah I don't want the buckle type, I need one that is flexible I guess?"

"oh yes" the woman seemed to light up "we have the half chokers, these are good for dogs who might slip leads. They don't tighten enough to cause discomfort like your standard choke chain but it tightens enough to stop it coming off if he should pull away" Stiles glanced down and the collar in the woman's hands. The majority was fabric, or leather, with the front section cut out and replaced with a loop of chain. It was the chain that would pull the collar tighter if Derek pulled away but the collar would be loose enough when slack to run no risk of choking if Derek should suddenly shift back.

Stiles looked at the rack of half chokers in front of him and his eyes were drawn to a deep brown leather collar with a gold chain adorning the front. The image of Derek wearing the collar rose unbidden to the front of his mind; not dog Derek but man Derek and a sudden heat filled Stiles face. He wasn't attracted to Derek as he was now, with four paws and a tail, because that just wasn't his thing but he was definitely attracted to Derek the man and the thought of him being collared was a very intriguing idea.  Selecting that collar he then found a matching leash with a padded handle, it was more than he had hoped to spend but he didn't know how much Derek would pull on him once they reached the preserve and he really didn't want a rope burn. Finally he completed the accessories with a black and gold enamel tag containing his contact number and address and grabbed some cheap dog bags for cleaning up after Derek; He was just about to pay for his purchases when the shop assistants eyes drifted to his jeep.

"do you require a dog seatbelt?"

"a what"

"a seatbelt for the dog, it is a harness that slots into the seatbelt section and makes it much safer to transport your animal"

"yeah, yeah I better get one" A loud squeak from behind him had him spinning in the spot. His blood ran cold when he saw Derek crouched over something small, furry and grey; he ran forward and went to snatch whatever Derek had away from him before it was too late. Looking down at the creature in his hand Stiles was relieved to see it was nothing more than a dog toy Derek had pulled from the shelf, glancing back at the racking behind him he apologised to the cashier and headed back the way they had come. Allowing Derek to have more freedom on his leash Stiles let him sniff and explore any of the toys on the racking and collected any Derek seemed particularly interested in before returning to the register and finally paying an eyewatering amount for his purchases.

Once they were sat in the car Stiles manoeuvred Derek into his harness before clipping in into the seatbelt slot, Derek clearly wasn't thrilled by the operation however only made minimal protests. Once Derek was restrained Stiles fitted his collar and attached the tag to the loop on the front. Climbing into the front of the jeep Stiles let his mind wander as he began the drive to the preserve. He hoped he was doing the best for Derek, deep down he knew Derek was a man who would not take kindly to the leash and toys but right now he wasn't behaving that way at all and Stiles didn't want Derek the wolf to suffer because of Derek the man's hang ups. He didn't want to look to closely in to Derek behaving more like a dog than a wolf because it definitely made his life a lot easier given the circumstances.

Finally arriving at the edge of the Preserve Stiles put the jeep in park and climbed out. He had decided to conduct Derek's first walk on an area with foot paths and parking, at least until he knew how Derek would behave out in the open, if it went well they could move to the deeper parts to allow Derek to behave more naturally. Clipping the leash to Derek's collar and releasing the harness Stiles stepped back to allow the wolf to jump out of the vehicle, he had been so absorbed in his task he hadn't heard the other car pulling up behind him.

"Awwww how CUTE!" a leggy brunette had stepped out of the car, with a small fluffy dog of some breed Stiles wasn't familiar with, and was rapidly approaching Stiles and Derek.

"Oh sorry, He's a rescue, he isn't good with strangers and stuff" Stiles tried to move away from the approaching duo whilst maintaining a firm grip on the leash"

"Don't worry Mojo is very friendly" She said as she released the leash previously restraining the over excited "Mojo"

"Yeah but mine isn't" Stiles was now penned between the jeep and approaching dog with nowhere to retreat to. He tried to fluctuate between talking calmly to Derek and telling him firmly not to hurt the other dog but before he could act Derek had lunged forward and pinned the little fluff ball to the ground with a terrifying snarl. The brunette screamed and lunged to rescue Mojo who, thankfully, Derek released the moment he stopped trying to jump on him.

"He's vicious, he tried to kill Mojo, He shouldn't be out here. He should be put down!" After a cursory glance at the smaller dog revealed no signs of injury Stiles allowed the anger to swell inside him.

"FIRST OF ALL, I told you he wasn't friendly. SECONDLY he is on lead and you chose to approach us AFTER I told you he wasn't friendly. And FINALLY if he wanted to kill "Mojo" he would be in pieces right now not sat at your feet. So why don't you get control of your dog and shut the fuck up because I know the law of controlling a 'dangerous' dog and so far all you have done is break that law." The brunette scooped up her dog and walked off with a huff.

Derek crouched down and gently ran his hands over Derek's soft fur talking in soothing words after his initial outburst before gently tugging on the leash and guiding Derek onto the path in the opposite direction of the woman and her dog.

The walk went surprisingly well. Derek had walked on his leash through the preserve, only pulling when he wanted to sniff at a certain bush or path, he was so well behaved Stiles had risked letting him free roam when there was no one else around. After an initial panic when Derek disappeared into the undergrowth Stiles quickly calmed as he reappeared every time he was called back. Once they returned home Stiles unpacked all the dog toys and scattered them across the floor, allowing Derek to choose which  ones he may wish to play with, and collapsed on the couch. It didn't take long for Derek to jump up next to him and lay his head in his lap and drift to sleep.

This was how the sheriff found them some hours later.


	5. DROP IT!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek becomes stronger, Stiles enjoys some aspects and struggles with others.

Stiles felt guilty, really guilty, he was supposed to be caring for Derek Hale whilst he was hurt and vulnerable and here he was acting like he had been given a new pet dog but somehow he couldn't stop. Especially when Derek brought him his tug rope for the third time in the last half hour and eagerly played tug-o-war with the human until Stiles was dragged, laughing, from his seat on the couch.

As days had turned in to weeks and they were quickly heading to over a month Scott and Deaton had continued to search for anything keeping Derek in his wolf form. Their main hypothesis was still that Derek had been originally trapped because of injury and just needed to heal and build his strength before he could turn back. They had no idea how long this could last and Stiles couldn't stop feeling guilty for enjoying Derek's company so much and for feeling slightly disappointed the day Derek did finally regain his true form.

They had spent the day just the two of them, playing together and dozing in front of the TV. Derek's fur had grown back fully and his weight was back to where it should be, creating a sleek black beast no longer pathetic and bony but now clearly a predator. This made Stiles a bit more hesitant to leave the house with Derek in case someone realised he wasn't your typical dog, this increased one on one attention meant Stiles felt closer to the wolf than he ever had before. He tried to keep the baby talk to a minimum in case Derek could suddenly understand him but there were just occasions where he couldn't resist such as when Derek climbed on top of him and frantically tried to lick his face whilst Stiles squealed and laughed from beneath the immobilising weight of the wolf.

As Derek recovered Stiles felt himself relax slightly, no longer worried Derek would collapse from exhaustion and malnutrition, that wasn't to say it didn't come without it's problems. Derek was now strong enough to pull him over when they were walking, thankfully that only happened twice before Derek relaxed on the leash now it only happened if he scented a rabbit or other small prey. Derek's confidence was also growing alongside his strength encouraging him to stray further from Stiles' side, not listening quite as readily when Stiles gave him a command, being more confrontational with other dogs out of dominance instead of fear.

This was how Stiles found himself back at the Vet centre blushing and stammering to Scott and Deaton as he explained the newest issue with Derek's behaviour.

"It's like....if I don't want him to have something or I want him to move...like this morning I was on the couch and wanted to get up but he was sat on me...then when he was blocking the door....oh and when I was eating my sandwich. He's not trying to hurt me or anything -"

"STILES" Scott cut in as Stiles had been dancing around the subject for the best part of twenty minutes now. "What does he DO exactly?"

"hetriestohumpme" Deaton, who had only been half listening to the conversation looked up from the cat he was currently examining and Stiles was sure he was fighting laughter which Scott was currently doubled over with. "I beg your pardon Mr Stilinski I didn't quite catch what you said there"

"I said he tries to hump me" Scott had just managed to catch his breath from the first bout of laughter doubled over once more. Stiles stood waiting for the pair to compose themselves, arms folded in front of him to show exactly how unimpressed he was with their reaction.

"Unfortunately that is quite natural" Deaton said before returning his attention to the cat, Stiles looked at Scott for clarification.

"Technically speaking if Derek were a typical wolf this behaviour would be a completely normal way to display dominance" Scott shrugged helplessly at Stiles.

"Why didn't he do it before then?"

"Because he was weak and half starved, he wasn't strong enough to 'challenge' you. Now he's getting stronger so he's rebelling trying to show he is the more dominant wolf"

Stiles glared down and the wolf currently sat at his side. "How do I make him stop?!"

"Easily Mr Stilinski, you just have to show who is more dominant. Now if that was all I believe my next patient is outside."

Knowing a dismissal when he heard one Stiles reattached Derek's leash and headed out to the jeep, fastening the wolf in safely before heading back home. Stiles replayed the conversation the entire drive trying to work out how to show an exceedingly large and abnormally strong wolf he was the most dominant without getting mauled to death in the process, Derek didn't give Stiles very long to work it out before he challenged him once more. As Stiles shut the door behind them he released Derek's leash and began untying his shoes, turning around just in time to catch sight of Derek walk into the living room carrying an entire roast chicken carcass. Groaning Stiles headed to wrestle it off him as he had read cooked chicken bones could splinter and cause serious problems like choking or lesions if swallowed.

"Derek! NO, Give me that!" Stiles used a tone of voice that, not so long ago, would have had Derek cowering in the corner. Now it just made the wolf growl slightly and grip his prize that much harder, deciding a no nonsense approach would be best Stiles simply walked forwards and took the chicken away from the wolf. Derek tried to maintain his grip for a moment before releasing his jaws, instead walking forward and locking his two front paws around Stiles' waist he tried to mount Stiles. At a loss of what to do Stiles looped his fingers through the chain on Derek's collar and pulled downwards whilst taking a step back, thankfully this was enough to unseat the wolf no matter how strong he was and Stiles was able to get to the kitchen and dispose of chicken carcass once and for all.

They fell back in to their new routine of watching TV and playing with Derek's toys for the rest of the day, there were a few incidents of Derek trying to 'dominate' Stiles however Stiles simply grabbed the collar each time and physically moved the wolf away, resulting in a huff from the wolf himself. Whilst subduing Derek had been much easier than Stiles anticipated it still took a lot of effort and he was exhausted when bedtime finally rolled around, Derek must have felt the same as he dove straight under the covers and both of them fell asleep.

Stiles woke a few hours later to fur tickling his nose, this wasn't the first time this had happened since sharing a bed with Derek, he usually spread out at some point in the night and Stiles ended up with a foot or his tail pressed against his face. He reached out to gently bat away the wayward tufts only for his hand to connect to a much larger and more solid surface than he had anticipated, opening his eyes he was confronted with a mop of sleek black hair.

Not fur, HAIR.

Opening his eyes fully Stiles slowly sat up, not wanting to disturb his bed mate, and peered down at the sleeping form next to him. He took in the lightly stubbled, tanned, face before tracing down a lithe neck adorned with a black and gold collar (which definitely looked better than his fantasy but that thought would have to wait) and on to large muscular shoulders the inky swirls of a tattoo peaking out above the comforter. Yep Derek was definitely back.

"OHMIGOD" Stiles spoke in a rush and had to collect himself before he continued. "Der, wake up" he gently shook Derek's shoulder and had to hold back an awww as the werewolf rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand before blearily blinking up at him. "Glad to have you back on two legs sourwolf" Stiles beamed down at him.

The words seem to seep slowly in to Derek's mind, not that Stiles would blame him he had spent at least a month as a wolf, as he blinked around the room slowly before moving his body somewhat experimentally. As he seemed to fully comprehend his situation Derek let out a heart stopping yelp and dove under the covers, pushing his head to the foot of the bed in the manner favoured by K9 Derek. This did mean Stiles was left staring at Derek's arse instead of his face. His very tanned, toned arse that was almost being presented to Stiles as Derek tucked his legs under his body where he cowered in his hiding place. Stiles would have loved to enjoy his new view more but the little whines and whimpers Derek was emitting showed they weren't out of the woods yet.

With a sigh Stiles pulled the blankets over Derek's bare backside and stood from the bed. It was, yet again, too early for this shit.


	6. Down Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Derek is back? or not

"I'm not entirely sure what it is you want me to say Mr Stilinski. I explained Derek would need time to return to his human form and now he has done so"

"Yes but you didn't say he wouldn't be _DEREK_ after it happened"

"how would we know that until now??" Scott cut in on the pairs argument and right now Stiles just wanted to throttle the pair of them.

"What has evidently happened is Derek attempted to return to his human form when his mind was still more 'present', shall we say, but he didn't have the strength to do so at that time and his mind adjusted accordingly to a prolonged period in this form. Once Derek's strength returned his body completed the requested shift unfortunately his mind was no longer asking it to do so"

"I'm sorry are you trying to tell me Derek was stuck in his full shift because he was, what?, Buffering??"

"well it is infinitely more complex than that but in essence yes"

"how long is he going to be like this then? It is one thing passing off a large wolf as my pet dog it is another explaining why a naked man is taking a crap on the lawn!"

"I doubt it will be too long before Derek returns, it may be sudden or it could be gradual. In any case the full moon is only a few days away and I doubt it will continue much past then" Deaton continued at Stiles and Scott's blank stares "The pull of the moon can make a wolf loose control, return to their more base selves, however they always return to normal after the event. As Derek is already exhibiting behaviours of his base self he may exhibit little to no change during the full moon however will hopefully complete the return transformation as expected"

"Of course we just need to turn him off and on again why didn't I think of that" Sarcasm dripped from Stiles' words "I asked for an emissary not tech support, he isn't a freaking ipod" Apparently becoming aware of Stiles distress Derek appeared behind him in the doorway with a growl, standing half crouched and completely naked, "I don't think Derek wants anyone seeing him like this so I think you guys should go" Stiles sighed dejectedly, hand resting on Derek's shoulder blade in reassurance quickly grabbing the collar the wolf still wore when he snapped at Scott on the way past. When they were alone Derek began to shake and whine staring wide eyed at Stiles.

"Hey Bear it's ok" Stiles opened his arms and encouraged Derek to climb on to his lap, which felt very different now Derek wasn't a wolf but a fully grown man. Stiles couldn't remember when the nickname had become a 'thing' but he found himself using it more and more, it had somehow started as Der-bear which became shortened to just Bear. Now it was a bit of a joke as, when Derek was still in his wolf form, people would shy away from the hulking great beast but to Stiles he was just a slightly grouchy teddy bear, not that he would admit that to anyone especially not Derek.

Derek refused to settle in their current positions, repeatedly shifting and rearranging himself, the reason became abundantly clear when he hopped off the bed and swatted at the door before looking at Stiles. Recognising this as his "I need the bathroom" signal Stiles had a difficult dilemma; he couldn't let Derek use the garden that was obvious so his other options were to try and coax the wolf to the toilet or refuse to open the door until Derek was forced to relieve himself in the house. Deciding at least attempting to get Derek on the toilet would be less traumatic, and less messy, for both of them Stiles opened the door. Derek, surprising Stiles by walking fully upright, began to head to the stairs his goal probably being the yard. Instead Stiles called to him and gently latched on to his collar guiding him in to the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. Apparently recognising this as 'bath time' behaviour Derek began to climb in to the tub in a very human manner only to have Stiles stop him again.  Instead Stiles began pressing against Derek's chest firmly, trying to encourage him to step back to the toilet, when Derek whined and tried to push him away Stiles began to gently talk to him in encouraging tones and petting his head. Somewhat more compliant Derek allowed himself to be manhandled until he was sat, slightly precariously, on the toilet seat, Stiles beaming at him in triumph.

"Ok, Still don't know how much you understand me right now Dude but I do not need you pissing on the floor after all this effort so apologies in advance for the touching" With that Stiles gently reached down to Derek's junk and ensured it was in the correct position to prevent any unnecessary mess. Derek continued to watch Stiles with some curiosity and once he felt Stiles had done touching him he tried to stand up once more only to drop back on to the seat with a huff at Stiles insistence. This continued a few more times with Derek becoming increasingly squirmy and whining high in his throat, Stiles was just thinking he may have to let Derek go in the garden when he heard the sound of fluid hitting water accompanied by little whimpers from Derek.  

Crouching in front of Derek Stiles rubbed his thighs soothingly and kept telling him how good he was, trying to relieve the distress Derek was experiencing for 'messing inside'. After what felt like ages the stream slowed and stopped and this time Stiles allowed Derek to stand, using some toilet paper to gently clean him before flushing and washing his hands. He really hoped Derek was a bit more self aware before he needed to do anything more than pee.

Finally able to settle on the bed Derek climbed on Stiles' lap once more only this time he began to lick and mouth at Stiles' face and neck, a habit he had never really broken with Derek the wolf. "No, stop it" Derek playfully nipped at the finger Stiles was holding up in front of his face "Hey, don't bite the Stiles! You want to bite go get rope" Stiles knew Derek had previously learnt what get rope meant only this time he huffed and settled down once more. Stiles hadn't got much sleep the night before having phoned Scott when Derek initially shifted back only to be told to let Derek sleep and if there were no emergencies they would be over in the morning Stiles had sat up awake watching the werewolf for any side effects. This coupled with the warm, steady breathing, of Derek curled up with him made Stiles drift of in record time.

 

Stiles awoke to a scream

He was up and on his feet in an instant, he looked around his bedroom to find it empty and the door wide open, cursing he took the stairs two at a time and skidded in to the kitchen. Derek had the Sherriff pinned against one of the counter tops and was apparently trying to lick the man's face off, all whilst completely naked, while Noah tried to bat the younger man away. After a split second hesitation Stiles darted into the kitchen and managed to help his dad push Derek away.

"Stiles what the hell is going on?!"

"Dad I can explain, Derek sort of shifted back only his mind hasn't caught up yet so he is basically still a dog"

"Stiles I am not sure I am comfortable with Derek being around you like this"

"so wait you were ok with it when he had four paws and a tale but not now that he is human again. We can't kick him out, especially not now, maybe before he could have stayed at the clinic under the disguise of a dog but how would we explain this. Look he's still acting like he was before just less furry, just think of him as a Chinese crested or something"

"a what?"

"one of those little bald dogs"

"fine" Noah begrudgingly held out his hand to Derek the same way he would have coming home for the last few weeks, Derek once again began trying to lick and mouth at the Sherriff. "but only if you find a way to stop him doing this!" the sheriff grunted as Stiles dragged Derek back once more "and for god sake put some pants on him, I don't need to be coming home to that kind of excitement" Noah nodded in Derek's direction as he walked out the room.

Somewhat confused Stiles turned to look at Derek only to realise that Derek was now stood upright in the middle of the kitchen wearing a dog collar and sporting an impressive erection. "Ohmigod" Stiles began dragging the werewolf back upstairs in the hopes he could find something to hide his modesty. After an hour of forcing Derek into various different shorts, boxers or sweats only for Derek to tear them off moments later Stiles resorted to cramming him into an oversized onesie he bought for a costume charity event for the station last year. They fit slightly tighter than you would typically want pyjamas but loose enough not to be uncomfortable for Derek and they covered all of Derek's vital areas. This did mean Derek was spending his time walking or crawling around in a red "Elmo" onesie and collar and this image definitely did funny things to Stiles and he would forever deny snapping a picture to join the millions he had of Derek in his wolf form. 

Stiles spent the rest of the day swinging between feeling like he was treating Derek 'too human' to feeling like he was treating him 'too animal', no matter what he did he felt like he was wrong and guilt and uncertainty were beginning to eat him up inside. His conflict must have been more obvious than he realised because his dad approached him before leaving for his shift at the station.

"Is he happy?"

"what?"

"Is Derek happy right now?"

Stiles looked down at the man lying along the floor at his feet, chewing on a rope toy with his elongated fangs, "yes I think so"

"then stop worrying about if you are doing it right or if others would do it the same way just focus on him and if he is happy

"Thanks Dad"

"It's ok Son, your mom gave me the same advice after you were born".

Noah headed towards the door, turning back to watch Stiles gently smooth Derek's hair, his heart simultaneously swelled and broke. He had never seen Stiles look so happy and he knew it would crush his son when Derek inevitably turned back to the surly werewolf everyone was used to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I have an email address if anyone wants to get in touch on there for anything  
> tigg.archive3@gmail.com


	7. Here Derek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The full moon arrives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so I am not happy with this chapter but you have no idea how many times I have rewritten it. For some reason this chapter has killed me but I promise it will get better again.

Two days preceding the full moon Derek started misbehaving, the only way to fully explain it was the phrase 'acting up'. He was especially clingy and protective with Stiles whilst simultaneously refusing to follow even the basic instructions. Stiles was currently trying to wrestle a snarling Derek into some form of clothing for what felt like the millionth time that day, the room was scattered with so much shredded fabric it looked like a confetti explosion. Stiles was sat panting in the centre of the explosion determinedly clutching a onesie and glaring at the still naked werewolf who was haughtily shredding the newest outfit attempt. In a last ditch effort Stiles lunged at his target trying to wrestle the garment over his head, Derek easily flipped the younger boy and pinned him to the floor with a playful growl.

"Fine! Be naked, but when you come to your senses remember I was the one who gave you pants!"

Stiles was thankful when the day of the full moon finally arrived and a potential end to the current chaos. He felt bad for Derek, he really did, the poor guy was stuck in limbo and had no freedom from the four walls of the Stilinski household so he was understandably going stir crazy. But Derek wasn't the only one suffering, Stiles got zero privacy or rest from Derek's current manic behaviour as he followed Stiles around every second of the day. That wasn't to say Stiles wasn't nervous about that coming evening and Derek returning to his normal self, he had no idea how the wolf would react to the events of the past few weeks, he could only hope Derek didn't decide to disembowel him in some way.

As the night of the full moon approached Stiles and Scott implemented a plan to support Derek and ensure Stiles wasn't murdered by a feral werewolf. Of course that plan didn't work as Derek went absolutely ape shit the second Scott approached the house and Derek's perceived territory; the pair tried to persist but after twenty minutes of Stiles pressed to the floor by a very growly wolf Scott decided it was safer for them both if he just left. The moment they were alone again Derek turned and began mouthing every inch of Stiles he could get to, checking for injury or distress, creating a whole new reason for Stiles to have to try and fight his way off the floor.

Stiles found himself stood panting in the middle of the room once again debating what to do for the next twelve hours to keep Derek entertained. Settling with a tried and tested technique Stiles snatched up the monkey rope toy that had become a favourite of Derek's over the last few days. The monkey plush itself seemed to quell some kind of hunting instinct as he enjoyed chasing and shaking it until he was satisfied it was thoroughly 'dead' and the thick rope threaded through the monkey's arms allowed Derek and Stiles to play tug until Derek inevitably walked away the victor. Thankfully Derek seemed as engaged with his monkey as always and Stiles was able to wear out the hyper active wolf sufficiently over the next few hours. Around midnight Stiles and Derek were both exaughsted and curled up on the couch to watch a movie, thankfully Stiles' dad was working the night shift so they didn't need to worry about him walking in and Derek returning to defensive mode. Stiles was running his fingers through Derek's hair and occasionally pulling playfully at the monkey still hanging from the wolves mouth when a wave of sadness washed over him. No matter how much he wanted Derek to be happy and return to normal a certain, more selfish, part of him wanted to keep this Derek and spend the rest of his life playing with and petting the wolf.

Eventually the full moon had passed enough for Derek to fall asleep and whilst he showed no movement towards his more human nature he was certainly less manic than he had been for days.

"come on bear, lets go up to bed" Stiles tried to rouse the wolf who was determinantal nuzzling deeper into the couch cushions. "Derek come on get up" Derek curled his lip at Stiles' continued prodding, eventually Stiles gently looped his fingers through the ever present collar and tugged enough for Derek to uncurl from his prone position with a yawn. "I'm going to bed now if you don't follow me you will stay down here and freeze your naked ass off on the couch so come on" Derek reluctantly followed Stiles up the stairs before digging his way under the bedding and curling up against the teens legs.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes, completely overcome by exhaustion, when he was wrenching them open again. He felt hot and smothered, something heavy pressing over the top of his head, blindly searching forward he tried to scramble to freedom only to fall suddenly to the floor. Sitting up Derek took in his surroundings, thinking he should feel more alarmed than he did to find himself in a very familiar bedroom instead of a few states over as he last remembered. A small grumble from the bed he had just fallen from informed Derek he was not alone in the room, what he couldn't understand was why he was completely naked. Derek quickly scanned back through his memories to piece together what had happened.

As far as he could remember he had come across a group of hunters who seemed to have the philosophy of shoot first talk later, luckily all the wolfsbane bullets had stayed in Derek's body instead of passing straight through. He had managed to dig each one out and treat the multiple poisoned wounds before it reached toxic levels but had been left exaughsted and weak. Using the last of his energy he had shifted into his wolf form and escaped the area unnoticed darting towards the road and his car intent on finding somewhere to rest and rebuild his strength. After that all he could remember was pain ripping through his side, his best guess would be he was hit by a car, and then nothing apart from the occasional feeling or jumble of smells cropping up haphazardly. Feeling frustrated at his inability to remember Derek let out an angry snarl, forgetting about his bed mate sleeping not far away.

"Eugh Derek it is too early to be getting up right now. Come back to bed" Derek didn't move simply growling at Stiles' insolence. "That's enough Der, it's just a dream come here" when Derek didn't return to bed straight away Stiles groaned again "Bear BED, NOW" it was clearly an order that Stiles expected to be followed and for a moment Derek had to fight the urge to do so. Instead he lunged pinning the youth to the bed and snarled down into the sleep mussed face flashing his eyes in an attempt to quell his prey only for him to reach up and press a kiss to his nose instead of cowering in fear.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Derek?" Stiles' eyes opened comically wide.

"no it's Pamela Anderson" Sarcasm and menace laced each syllable the wolf bit out "you have three seconds to tell me what is happening before I rip your throat out"

"Ok man I will tell you whatever you want to know but maybe we should get you some pants first?"

Overcome with frustration, confusion and vulnerability Derek slammed his defences up and roared down at Stiles

"NO, Bad boy, Get off!" Derek felt a hand grip something on his neck that he had previously been unaware of and pull him off the bed completely.

"Dad, wait. It's Derek. He's back to normal"

"then he has no excuse for growling at you like that does he" Derek looked up at Noah Stilinski, wearing full uniform and apparently just returning home from his shift. "If everything here is under control I am going to get some shut eye but I want Derek dressed by the time I wake up. I've seen enough of his bare ass to last a lifetime"

Stiles jumped off the bed and snatched up some garment from the middle of the floor thrusting it to Derek to put on. At the sight of a fluffy blue onesie Derek glared incredulously at Stiles. "hey don't blame me, you are the one who ripped up everything else" Derek glanced around the room properly for the first time and took stock of the sheer volume of destroyed clothing, seeing the shock on Derek's face Stiles spoke up again. "You think this is bad you should see what you did to the kitchen. Put that on and I promise I will explain everything okay?" It wasn't lost on Derek how softly Stiles spoke to him and the way his hand twitched out as if he wanted to touch Derek in some way. "Sorry, habit" Stiles headed downstairs to get some coffee and Derek looked around the room once more, each time he seemed to spot something new, and his gaze landed on an array of dog toys spread over the floor. Reaching down to pick up a stuffed monkey that had clearly been chewed caused whatever was around his throat to shift and clink, redirecting his reach from the toy to his throat Derek delicately lifted whatever it was over his head.

Staring down at the dog collar Derek's heart rate picked up, before he could even think about it he slid the window open and hit the ground running. Only stopping when he returned to the safety of his own loft, it was only then he realised he was still clutching the collar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have an email address and I have just started a twitter account if anyone wants to hang out. 
> 
> Tigg.archive3@gmail.com
> 
> @TiggArchive.


	8. Fetch Derek!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles confronts Derek...Derek confronts Stiles....

Stiles collapsed onto his bed, voice hoarse and physically exhausted, guilt and remorse eating him up inside. When he had returned with two cups of coffee only to find an empty room and open window he had immediately grabbed some clothes and jumped in the jeep, racing to Derek's loft. He knew Derek was inside, he could sense it, but the wolf refused to speak to him or unlock the door (seriously who knew it locked?!) no matter how hard he knocked or how loud he shouted. He knew Derek's transformation would be hard on him and Stiles had tried to make sure he had everything they would need. Hell the entire time Derek was feral Stiles would talk to him, explain to him what was happening and why, just in case his mind returned before he was able to communicate properly. But Stiles had failed and now Derek was once again afraid and alone, well Stiles had never been one to give up at the first failure he definitely wasn't going to start now.

After a short nap, something to eat and a hot shower Stiles returned to the loft once more. This time with industrial grade, police issue, bolt cutters that he was definitely allowed to have as long as he got them back before anyone noticed they were missing and no one saw him doing so. Thankfully his risk paid off and it only took the initial threat to cut open the door like a cheap tin can and actually starting to do so before Derek opened the door. Unfortunately Derek immediately snatched the bolt cutters from Stiles' hands and slammed him into the wall in true Derek fashion, only this time he was shifted and roaring in his face.

"Look if you will just let me explain you will understand -"

"understand what?! How you manipulated me? Took advantage of me? I woke up naked and collared in your bed! How are you going to explain that?!"

"what no you got it all wrong, I was trying to help you! What do you think I did?!"

"I don't KNOW I don't REMEMBER! I can't go through this again!"

"go through what?" "JENNIFER, KATE, ALL OF IT" Derek roared before going very still and releasing Stiles "just get out. Before I really hurt you" in all the times Derek had threatened him and slammed him into things this was the first time Stiles actually believed Derek might actually hurt him. He slowly walked out of the loft on heavy limbs, not even sparing a second glance at the discarded bolt cutters. By the time he got home shock had truly settled in, next thing he became aware of was his dad saying his name. At some point he had walked into the hallway but he had no memory of doing so, his chest was tight and his throat burned in a way suggestive of a panic attack which would also explain the spots clearing from in front of his eyes.

"Stiles? Son tell me what happened? Are you ok?" Stiles nodded jerkily, tears silently coursing down his cheeks, he briefly wondered if he might be sick.

"where have you been?" Stiles didn't answer just turned and headed up to his bedroom where he collapsed to the ground and screamed out the grief of the loss of his best friend. He didn't even hear the door close and the engine of the cruiser roar to life.

 

"DEREK HALE YOU OPEN THIS DOOR OR I WILL SHOOT IT OFF IT'S HINGES" what was it with the Stilinski's and trying to physically remove his door. Feeling frightened and defensive he shoved the door open harshly, snarling at the Sherriff who had his gun drawn and Scott McCall stood beside him 

"What do you want?"

"We gotta talk"

"Why is Scott here?"

"Just in case you decided you didn't want to talk to me" 

Derek growled. "you can come in but McCall stays outside"

"Done" Noah holstered his gun and walked in to the loft, allowing Derek to close the door behind him.

"care to explain to me why my son has appeared in my house having a panic attack before going upstairs and screaming his lungs out. Last I heard he was coming to talk to you"

"yeah well we talked, maybe he didn't like the truth"

"And what would the truth be?"

"I don't want to talk about it" Derek turned his back, with the teenagers of the pack this would effectively dismiss them but it wasn't nearly as effective on Noah.

"Ok well how about I talk? How about I tell you all about how you turned up shifted and injured, fur falling out and half starved. Or How about I tell you how Stiles brought you home, bathed you every day, fed you every meal. Or maybe I should tell you how Stiles walked you, cleaned up after you and spent every waking moment next to you."

"I didn't ask him to do any of those things!"

"No you didn't ask, you didn't _need_ to ask! Stiles did them anyway because that is who he _is._ And even when you went human again and you were still half out your mind Stiles washed you, took you to the bathroom, hell he got scratched to ribbons trying to dress you because he thought that was what _you_ would want"

"He collared me, gave me toys like some kind of dog"

"YOU chose the toys. He went to the store to get some dishes and a harness for the jeep and YOU wouldn't put the damn monkey down so he bought that too! And as for the collar well how else was he supposed to get you to stop humping him"

"Stop me what?!"

"Oh you heard, that werewolf hearing isn't for nothing. Deaton said it was a dominance thing." Derek groaned, rubbing his face. Maybe he had been wrong but he just felt so angry. "you don't have to accept this all straight away but do me a favour and just look at this will you" Noah was holding out his phone which Derek reluctantly took.

On the screen was a video folder, all clearly from security footage of the Stilinski household. "I was understandably nervous when Stiles first said he was bringing home a feral werewolf. I installed cameras in the communal areas so I could keep an eye on things from the station. Logically I know it wouldn't help anything but it made me feel better. I think Stiles forgot about it" Derek looked down at the phone once more and selected the first video. He watched as Stiles walked in to the kitchen, a scrawny patchy wolf at his heels, before turning and holding out small pieces of meat for Derek to take from him. Derek knew he was looking at him self in the same detached way he could recognise himself in pictures as a small child. In true Stiles form he was talking the entire time; telling Derek where they were, what he was feeding him (chicken), why they were there, occasionally stopping for some kind of indication Derek understood him.

Derek stopped the video and opened the next one, which was basically the same but this time Derek was more animated jumping and nipping playfully at Stiles as he tried to take the food. Stopping the video again Derek skipped a few more ahead; this time it was the sitting room and Derek was looking much healthier. His fur was thick and dark and his ribs didn't show anymore, the collar glistened slightly around his neck, Stiles was gently brushing out Derek's fur talking to him the entire time and cursing him for running through the scrub on the preserve. Another video of Derek spread across Stiles' lap both fast asleep. Stiles throwing and playing tug with the monkey, the entire time complaining Derek would hate this if he were still 'him' but wolf Derek kept coming back and demanding more attention from Stiles. Once Derek had started watching the videos it was like he couldn't stop.

The next video he opened was very different. He saw himself, completely naked, scramble through the kitchen and enthusiastically pin Noah to the surface only to be dragged off by Stiles. Resorting to the collar only after repeated other attempts failed. The next one Stiles was chasing after a gleefully running Derek (still naked) clutching some form of clothing and trying to wrestle it on him as soon as he got close enough. The last video he watched he was wearing a onesie shaking the monkey from side to side enthusiastically while Stiles chuckled and carded his fingers through Derek's hair. Stiles looked almost sad as Derek nuzzled into his neck and chest, mouthing and licking at Stiles' skin, Stiles pressed a chaste kiss to Derek's temple. "that was the day before the full moon. Stiles knew you would turn back soon"

"how long? How long was I...?"

"nearly a whole month between being found and jumping out the window" Derek nodded.

"I can't. Right now I can't. Can you tell Stiles; tell him I'm not mad. What I said before, he isn't like them but the situation, the situation is just too close. I need a bit of time."

"I will tell him. I understand you need time but Derek? You leave and I will personally find you ok?" Derek nodded shortly, wrapping his arms around his abdomen and staring at the floor. Noah knew he couldn't expect any more out the wolf today, instead he headed out the loft to go and comfort his son. 


	9. Good Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a bit different to the previous ones but I hope you enjoy it just the same.

"Sherriff there is a Mr Hale here to see you"

"yes send him straight in" - "Hi Derek everything ok?"

"I want to see the tapes"

"Sorry?"

"the tapes, from your house, I want to see all of them. I _need_ to see what happened" Derek stood in the office, stiff and unmoving. Most people would find him threatening but with all his years on the force Noah recognised nervous posturing when he saw it. Wanting to put the young man at ease Noah moved to sit on the edge of his desk, directly opposite Derek.

"I have no issue with that but I want to ask Stiles first. He is in most of these videos too you understand?"

"Can you - can you ask him now?" Derek's need for concrete information was something Noah saw all too often when working with victims.

"He's supposed to be in school but I can try calling him." Derek grunted in acknowledgement as Noah dialled his sons number. After a few agonising moments of the phone ringing the call was cut off, Derek tried to fight the disappointment that filled his chest when the dial tone reached his ears.

"I will let you know as soon as I speak to him Derek, If he says no I will have to respect that" Noah felt his heart constrict as Derek nodded forlornly. He wanted to help Derek as much as possible, this was the same young boy who lost his family in the horrific fire and Noah had worked that case,  this was the same young man who had saved Stiles' life multiple times and the same adult who had spent nearly a month in his house as part of the family. Albeit a slightly abnormal situation but still part of the family. Noah was just about to reach out to the wolf when his phone blared obnoxiously from his desk.

"Hey Daddio, what's up?"

"Hi Stiles; you are in school aren't you"

"Hey now you phoned me first. This is entrapment!" Noah snorted at the outrage in his sons voice.

"Calm down, I just needed to ask you a question. Although don't think I didn't notice you avoided the question".

"WOW where's the trust Pop's? Why do you think I didn't answer before. I was getting a hall pass! What did you need?"

"I have Derek with me," Noah spoke carefully knowing this was still a difficult topic for his son. He briefly wondered whether he should have waited till school was out before broaching the subject but it was too late to back out now. "He has asked to watch the surveillance tapes from the house, I wanted to get your opinion first." There was silence over the line and Derek felt his chest burn, suddenly blowing out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.

"Um yeah, yeah if that is what he needs. Maybe - Maybe I could be there when he does? Like not right next to him but maybe in the room, in case he wants to ask anything?" Derek could hear the question in Stiles' tone and knew he could say no and Stiles would not stop him from having the footage. Derek caught the sheriff's eye, not needing him to repeat what his son had said, and nodded shortly.

"ok Kiddo, I will tell Derek to swing by after school. Now get back to learning" when the call was disconnected Noah looked at Derek once more. He was still tense but this tension spoke of nerves more than fear which Noah thought was an improvement from when he walked in the office.  

Stiles was almost vibrating with anxiety and nerves when he walked into the house that night, startling slightly when he found Derek was already there.

"Hi" Stiles breathed, this was the first time he had spoken to the wolf since the incident and the loft. Derek returned his greeting with a weak smile. Once Stiles had grabbed a soda from the fridge he awkwardly suggested they go to his room to watch the footage.

Stiles loaded his laptop in complete silence and allowed Derek to take the computer chair at his desk before handing him a set of headphones, leaving Stiles to sit on the bed and start his homework. No matter how hard he tried his eyes kept straying back to the images on the screen. Feeling heat flood his face every time he caught sight of himself cooing over Derek.

Of course there was too many hours to watch in one sitting so Stiles once again found Derek to be a fixture in his life as he came over each day to watch more hours. Thankfully he didn't feel the need to watch an entire months worth of tape, not that Stiles would have stopped him, skipping through footage he deemed repetitive or irrelevant.

After almost two weeks of sitting in silence while Derek stared at the computer Stiles almost fell off the bed when Derek spoke. "Why?" not understanding what had prompted the wolf to break his silence Stiles turned his gaze to computer screen. The grainy image of Stiles was laid over the sofa with a feral, and wholly underdressed Derek, crouched over and "attacking" him. Reaching over Stiles pulled the headphone jack out so he could hear what was being said on the screen.

_Laughter filled his ears. "oh my god, Stoppit!. Bear, Derek you would hate yourself if you ever saw this" sighing Stiles voice grew more firm "Derek! Get Off! Down!!" Derek curled in on himself and dropped to the floor with a plaintive whimper. "I'm sorry Der; I'm just trying to do the right thing. Even though I'm not really sure what that is right now"._

Still not entirely sure what Derek was asking him Stiles tried to formulate a reply "uhm I had the monkey toy and you wanted it. You decided to maul me to get it back.

"that's not what I meant"

"oh, the um, the 'bear' thing?"

"no although you will have to explain that. Why did you do this, take me in, look after me, everything. I've never exactly been nice to you"

"so if it was the other way round you wouldn't do the same for me? Besides just coz we fight doesn't mean I don't care about you" Stiles blushed as he spoke, hoping Derek wouldn't realise how deep his feelings went but equally not wanting to outright lie about how important Derek was to him. Derek's gaze turned back to the screen and he nodded, more to himself than Stiles, before closing the screen.

"Thank you. For looking out for me." Stiles' mouth open and closed in shock, doing a rather impressive goldfish impression. "And I'm sorry - for scratching you and ripping your clothes and uhm...."

"mounting me?" Derek's eyes widened and Stiles started to laugh, the first time since Derek had turned back to normal he had felt relaxed enough to do so. "S'ok, although you owe my dad a kitchen"

"Stiles" Derek gulped "I'm scared" Stiles closed his text book and moved closer to Derek.

"Why are you scared?"

"I lost myself. Watching that footage and I was completely different and-" Derek turned back to the screen and flicked through the images, apparently settling on one specific shot.

"and?"

"I seem so much happier." Derek sounded wounded as he spoke, staring at the image of him leaning over Stiles mouth wide in an approximation of a smile and eyes shining with mischief.

"Well yeah, I guess I would be happier too if I didn't need to worry about anything. Making sure you have clothes and food and fighting for your life, all of it was gone."

"do you miss it?"

"yes and no. I miss the company, having something that was entirely mine for a while. Selfish I know. But you have no idea how many times I would think 'I will ask Derek' or 'Derek would want to know this' and then it would hit me again that you were gone. For a while I wasn't sure you would be coming back and that was HARD" Derek contemplated the picture for a few more moments. "Do YOU miss it?"

"are you asking me if I miss being a wolf" Stiles snorted.

"To everyone else you were a wolf, around me you acted more like a Labrador" Derek curled his lip and snarled in Stiles' direction "a terrifying, ferocious Labrador" Stiles added laughing.

"I don't remember enough to miss it but seeing how content and relaxed I was makes me, jealous? I guess. Jealous that I don't remember any of it, jealous that I don't remember the last time I ever felt like that." Stiles murmured in understanding and the pair lapsed into silence once more.

"I'm sorry too, if I did anything that made you feel uncomfortable. The entire time I felt like I was walking some kind of tightrope between keeping you happy and keeping the wolf happy. Either way I felt like I would be upsetting one part of you, I figured when you were 'back' I could at least explain. I wasn't sure how much you understood as a wolf and I didn't want to make it any scarier than it already was."

"It's ok, but thank you for saying it" Derek turned and resumed watching the footage, skipping larger chunks now he understood more. Derek hadn't bothered to plug the headphone jack back in so Stiles got snippets of sound each time Derek stopped to watch some. Mainly laughter or playful reprimands sometimes silence excluding the sound of the TV until Derek happened to stop on a particular clip and the room was filled with a soul shattering howl. Stiles jumped up from his customary position on the bed.

"Derek no, please, don't watch this" Alarmed Derek pushed Stiles back preventing him from stopping the video. Eyes not leaving the scene unfolding before him.

_It was around the time Derek had returned to his human form but was still basically feral. He was crouched in the hallway wearing tattered clothing and staring at something outside of the camera frame and alternating between whimpering and howling in clear distress. Suddenly Derek scrambled backwards and away from a figure staggering onto the screen, crouching once more in the corner with his back against the wall Derek began to vocalise again. This time louder than before. The figure, who was clearly Stiles now he was fully in shot, dropped to his knees near the doorway and dragged in a ragged breath. Each breath Stiles pulled in sounded strangled and painful and each gust he blew out was accompanied with gut wrenching sobs. Derek crept forwards slowly, still whimpering, as the figure repeatedly swiped at his face clearly trying to wipe away the onslaught of snot and tears. When Derek let out a particularly pitiful whine Stiles looked up and tried to uncurl himself slightly. "S'ok.........M'ok......Der" Stiles tried to choke out the words between each breath, Derek's distress suddenly more important than his own. Hearing Stiles' voice seemed enough to calm the wolf who closed the remaining distance between the two of them, licking gently at Stiles face and mouth in an attempt to soothe him._

The image froze, Derek had been so enraptured in what he was seeing he had forgotten about keeping Stiles away from the controls. "I was having a bad day" Stiles spoke hollowly feeling heat build up in his cheeks, "I got a bit overwhelmed, it happens sometimes,-" Stiles didn't give Derek chance to respond before continuing. "I'm gonna get some coffee, you want some coffee?" Stiles hurried out the room without a backwards glance. Derek felt guilty for invading Stiles' privacy like that, he wished he had listened when Stiles had asked him to turn it off but his trust issues had won out again. Deciding not to watch any more of that particular day Derek skipped forward in the video and resumed play when a now smiling Stiles was in the middle of the screen. The rest of the footage was no less surprising than what he just watched.

_Stiles was stood in the middle of the living room beaming down at something once again outside the view of the camera. "I know you are getting stir crazy big guy, me too. The full moon isn't too far away now but I guess you can probably feel that. Here I have an idea" Stiles fished his phone from his shorts pocket and started to fiddle around with something on the screen, still talking while he did so. "when I feel like I have too much energy I just dance, I'm not any good at it but I've been practising" Stiles grinned over his shoulder once more as the opening bars of 'uptown funk' filtered from his phone. Stiles held his hands out as he started to sway in time with the music, angling them down as if he was encouraging a small child to take hold. Derek crawled into view and lifted his hands for Stiles to take hold of, clearly understanding the gesture on some level. "That's it good boy!" Stiles spoke softly but with no less enthusiasm, clearly not meaning to belittle Derek but to actually encourage him. Stiles began to move and sway with the music, doing his best to guide Derek in the energetic movements. Suitably enthused Derek began to bound around alongside Stiles imitating a dog much more than a man in his movements but participating never the less. One particularly energetic bound sent both him and Stiles toppling to the ground doing absolutely nothing to deter the wolf who immediately jumped on the small human and began trying to pin him. Laughing and squealing Stiles did his best to push Derek off of him and evade the slobbery licks attacking his face. "alright, alright, I give!" Stiles patted Derek's side after a few moments of wrestling and the man obediently rolled off Stiles and stood to his almost full height. Stiles scrambled up far less gracefully than his opponent and straightened his mussed hair and clothes before turning towards the hallway. "That amount of exercise deserves a popsicle come on"._

Sitting back in his chair Derek processed both sets of footage he had just watched, in the first one Stiles had obviously been extremely distressed but had still taken the time to reassure Derek. The second footage Derek had watched as his entire face had lit up at Stiles' antics and the way Stiles had grinned just as much in return. The amount of times Derek had seen footage of himself entirely naked or practically throwing himself at Stiles and not once had Stiles acted inappropriately instead trying to preserve Derek's dignity until he was back to his normal, consenting, self and that thought alone created a rather alarming lump in his throat.

"You liked music, like?, like music?" Stiles spoke from where he was leant against the doorway. "anytime you heard music, or god forbid my awful singing, you used to sort of wiggle." Stiles illustrated with a slightly hunched over full body shimmy and Derek had to fight the twitch at the corners of his mouth. "that's pretty much all the footage anyway. It felt like you were naked a lot more in reality"

Derek groaned and tipped his head back fixing his gaze on the ceiling "guess that's another thing to add to the list for stuff I am sorry for"

"Derek, man, you don't have to be sorry about any of it. Not the scratches, or the clothes, not the mounting or the boners. For the most part it stays between you and me. If you ever need to just let go again, I dunno shift and play tug or....whatever you need you can always come here. Although if you start mounting me again I reserve the right to put that collar back on you!"

Derek looked at Stiles, jaw slack "boners?" he asked in a weak voice. Stiles fought down a smile and let his eyes go wide, doing his best impression of a startled rabbit, "Sooooo many boners" he whispered his voice a mixture of awe and fear before cracking up. For the first time in a long time Derek found himself joining in the laughter.


	10. Lost Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek tries to move on with his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to wait till I had more of my other fics done and post everything together but I got too excited and decided to post this now.

Time continued to pass in the Stilinski household and overall not much had changed, apart from the new kitchen courtesy of Derek. Noah went to work, Stiles went to school and in the evening Derek would appear in Stiles' bedroom. Sometimes he would watch the footage of when he was 'lost' as they were now terming it, other times he would just hang out with Stiles but either way he was there.

It didn't take long for a more intimate friendship to build, Stiles would find himself reaching out to touch Derek and he would no longer curb the impulse. Derek in return would lean into Stiles' side or swing his legs over his lap depending what they were doing at the time. Still something was missing, it was as if there was an invisible barrier between the two of them.

At first Derek assumed it was him, he had such a dysfunctional relationship history and had never been good with words it only made sense, but soon others began to comment on Stiles strange and distant behaviour. Scott even mentioned an increase in panic attacks, or near panic attacks, with no apparent trigger.

Fighting down his typical monosyllabic self Derek decided to ask Stiles about it the following night. Building up the courage as they sat watching some show on Netflix, Derek had been too nervous to pay attention to what Stiles had put on, Derek reached out and pressed the pause button. Turning to face Stiles, Derek swallowed audibly.

"Dude, what?, you look like your about to tell me your dying. Oh god are you dying?"

"No! I just wanted to ask what is going on with you lately?"

"I don't know what you are talking about" Stiles made no attempt to hide the lie, knowing Derek would pick up on it regardless, just hoping Derek wouldn't pry too hard.

"Stiles, I'm worried about you. Scott said you have been having more panic attacks? Whenever I see you, you always seem so tense" there was a pause and Derek continued in a much quieter tone, broaching the subject he was truly nervous about. "is it me? Do you not want me coming round anymore? You can tell me you know"

"God Derek of course not, I love you coming over!"

"then what is it Stiles? Please!"

"you know I have ADHD?" Derek nodded at the obvious statement "well that's not all I have, I struggle with anxiety and depression as well. Sometimes I go through a bad patch and sometimes there is no obvious reason for it" Derek nodded again wanting to show Stiles he understood, he wasn't going to make the easy mistake of offering reasons or solutions for how Stiles was feeling. "I was heading in to a bad patch not so long ago but I didn't realise how bad it was getting because - "

"because?" Derek prompted gently hoping Stiles would continue talking now he had began.

"the camera's didn't see everything Derek. In the evenings we would go upstairs and lie down together and I could just talk. About anything. I didn't have to worry about being judged or being annoying and I was fairly sure you weren't going to remember so it didn't matter what I said and I think - I think it helped"

Derek stared at Stiles in silence for a moment before shuffling further down the bed and leaning his head on Stiles' chest, quiet was something Derek Hale could do very well.

"It's not the same Der-" Stiles noted sadly

"I could shift if that helps?" Stiles shook his head whilst twisting himself to curl around Derek nonetheless,

"it's not the same; thank you for trying"

After Derek had left Stiles' room (and his bed) far later than he probably should have he began thinking of a way he could help Stiles. Of course he didn't expect to 'fix' Stiles' mental health, he knew that wasn't how these things worked, but if there was something he could do to make it that bit easier then he wanted to do it. He spent a day and a half racking his brains and falling into a research spiral to rival Stiles' himself only for inspiration to hit him in the shower.

It was so fucking simple! 

Rushing out the shower and throwing on clothes Derek drove as fast as he dared to the station hoping he could get Noah Stilinski on board.

 

"you want to do what now?" Noah stared across the desk at Derek as if he was deciding whether or not Derek had lost his mind. 

"get him a dog"

"and why would we do that?"

"I honestly think it would help" when Derek caught sight of Noah's unimpressed scowl he ploughed on "think about it, he said he missed the companionship since I turned back, said he enjoyed having something completely his own. Just the other night he told me talking to me, knowing I couldn't reply, helped him with his anxiety which has gotten worse lately"

Noah sat back and thought about Derek's little speech, he had to admit the wolf had a point. "alright. But if this goes to shit it's moving in with you."

"Deal" Derek grinned in triumph, "I will go down to the shelter right now and narrow it down to the ones I think would suit Stiles and get along with the pack best. Then you could swing by after work and get the final say."

"I have lunch in an hour, see you then" 

Derek jumped up and hurried out the door, excitement leaching in to each step he took. Pulling into the animal shelter he braced himself for the cacophony of barks and yowls to reach his ears, if you thought these places were normally bad wait until a werewolf walks through the door. Heading inside he asked the very helpful volunteer to show him where the available dogs were kept and slowly began to make his way down the aisle between two rows of kennels. 

He carefully read the fact sheet of each dog, providing him with whatever information they had for that animal. Thankfully the volunteer had returned to the front desk, allowing Derek to subtly flash his eyes and growl at any potential dog. Any who responded with aggression were immediately ruled out, along with any out right terrified as it wouldn't be fair on either sets of dogs. By the time Derek had considered every animal in the place he had narrowed it down to four potential dogs, just in time for Noah to join him.

"So, what do we have?"

"Ok, this isn't a particular order but first is this guy. He's a Grate Dane cross breed around two years old so pretty much fully grown and extremely placid" Derek turned to look at Noah who was glancing between the ginormous dog and Derek in disbelief.

"yeah I thought that would be your reaction. Next this is a female basset hound, she's got some potential but apparently struggles being left alone. I didn't know if you could deal with that or not?"

"I could take her to the station but would have to leave her anytime I was called out. Not impossible but maybe not the best dog for us" Derek nodded in understanding.

"ok, this one is a mixed breed. Still very young so full of energy but they aren't sure how big it will get." Noah didn't even respond to Derek, his eyes glued to a little bundle sat at the front of the next cage, shaking slightly.

"was this one of the four"

"it wasn't" Derek indicated the fluffy puppy he was stood in front of and another, squash nosed dog further down. "to be honest I thought this kennel was empty" Derek looked down at the scrawny creature in front of him which simply looked back, tremors still coursing through it's tiny frame. Glancing round to check the coast was clear Derek flashed his eyes and snarled, feeling slightly guilty as he did so. Much to everyone's suprise the dog didn't even flinch, it let out one high pitched yap and returned to peering out the cage at it's surroundings.

"It could be a good match" Derek conceded, "what is it?" Derek stared at the pinkish bare body of the dog which was framed in a pointed head, complete with large bat like ears, a long whip like tail and four dainty legs. All of which were adorned with a fine black fur.

Noah chuckled slightly as he answered "that is a Chinese crested". After confirming this dog would be perfect for Stiles, even with the additional care needs common to that breed (after all Stiles had been bathing Derek multiple times a day to begin with, not that they could tell the staff that). Noah left Derek to complete all the necessary paperwork, begrudgingly agreeing Derek did not have to wait for Noah's shift to be over before presenting the new gift to Stiles.

Stiles had just finished school early, coach had been out sick so practice was cancelled, and was walking through the front door of his house when he heard a bang from upstairs. Right where his room would be, trying not to panic Stiles crept up as quietly as he could only to be greeted by Derek climbing through his window.

"Der' what are you doing?" Derek gasped in shock and Stiles didn't know what was more worrying, Derek breaking into his house knowing no one was here or him being able to sneak up on the werewolf. Refusing to turn around Derek addressed his answer to the still open window.

"I was hoping to get everything set up before you got home, make it more of a suprise"

"Get what set up exactly?" Finally Derek turned around and revealed a small dog cradled in his arms, presumably the reason for his less than graceful entrance and disguising Stiles' approach.

"Awwww you got a puppy?"

"what? No? I got you a puppy, Well a dog really the shelter said it, he, said he's about 1 years old"

"Derek that's really kind but my dad -"

"gave his permission and helped me pick him out."

Stiles stood, his mouth hanging open for an alarmingly long time. "I thought it might help, it's not selfish to want something entirely yours, maybe he will listen to you when you need to talk" Stiles gulped, fighting back tears at the magnitude of Derek's gesture. Suddenly it was like a switch had been flipped, Stiles went from unerring stillness to overwhelming movement, he practically threw himself at Derek and glued his lips over the older mans. 

After a brief moments pause Derek relaxed and gently moved his lips in time with Stiles' somewhat clumsy kiss. A smile tugged at his mouth as he pulled away slightly, catching a glimpse of panic on Stiles' face. "not that this isn't lovely but I think we are squashing your present"

Stiles snorted and reached out carefully for his new pet. "does he have a name?"

"no I thought you could name him"

Stiles thought for a moment "T.D."

"teedee?"

"No! Not Teedee! T.D. Like initials"

"oh, for what?"

"uhm, they are for - oh I better call my dad and say thanks!" Stiles snatched his phone from his pocket and attempted to dial only to be tackled by Derek, who carefully wrapped an arm around the pup as they fell onto Stiles' bed. Bracketing Stiles' body with his arms Derek leant forward and placed a languid kiss against Stiles' lips "that's cheating" Stiles pouted.

"what do the initials stand for Stiles?"

"teenyDerek" Stiles mumbled, fixing all his attention on petting the dog resting on his chest.

"Tiny Derek?!"

"well actually it was Teeny Derek but yours works too" It was Derek's turn to stare opened mouthed at Stiles before he huffed in annoyance.

"that's it I'm taking the dog back" Derek made a playful grab for the dog as Stiles rolled away aghast

"what? No you can't do that." Stiles carefully placed TD on the floor before attempting to hold Derek back "run TeenyDerek, Save yourself, BE FREE" T.D. Looked up at Stiles before padding over to a pile of discarded laundry and curling up to sleep while the pair on the bed continued to wrestle and laugh. Finally stopping when they were both panting and tangled in each other.

"Stiles"

"yeah?"

"I really like you" Stiles smiled, his eyes flicking to Derek's mouth and back again.

"good" their lips met once again, slowly mapping the feel and taste of each other. Stiles once again found himself sleeping with Derek in his bed and a warm presence against his feet but this time they were two separate entities.

 

 

Things were looking up, Stiles and Derek settled into a comfortable relationship deciding to take things slow to begin with. Stiles spent almost every spare moment caring for TD Including dressing him up in a tiny leather jacket much to Derek's annoyance. With his anxiety slowly receding and Derek's trust growing Stiles finally thought his life wasn't so bad. Until the night they faced the witch, they beat her but only just and a moment of hesitation on Derek's part resulted in a pretty serious wound for Erica.

 

That night Derek stood framed by Stiles' window clutching the long forgotten collar, his eyes full of pain and his voice broken as he spoke.

 

Please

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so this is sort of the end.
> 
> But don't worry! I wanted to add in some dom/sub understones and maybe some puppy play (all of which I have hopefully been hinting at) however was concerned not everyone would like that. 
> 
> Because of this I have decided to end this particular fic here and then create at least one more story in the series. 
> 
> Hope that works for everyone!


End file.
